


Angel Wings Unlocked

by Stariceling



Category: Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger, Tensou Sentai Goseiger
Genre: Angel Wings, M/M, Post-Series, Spoilers, Teaching Non-Winged Characters Wing Grooming, Wing Grooming, Wing Kink, Wing Oil, preening
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-16
Updated: 2015-04-16
Packaged: 2018-03-18 15:59:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,964
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3575267
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stariceling/pseuds/Stariceling
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Marvelous can't help being a little curious about the Goseiger's wings, and he finds those are definitely the most fascinating when attached to his angelic counterpart.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Angel Wings Unlocked

**Author's Note:**

> End-of-series fic, just before the Gokaigers leave Earth.
> 
> I'd still like to write more angel/pirate things, more wing grooming, more everything. Especially more with Gai because Gai is the most precious and they didn't get to meet in canon.

“I can’t believe I finally get to meet you!” Gai cried. His raised voice wasn’t unusual on its own. What got Marvelous’s attention was that the voice trying to shush his enthusiastic silver ranger, although familiar, wasn’t one of the crew.

“You were so cool fighting Mons Drake,” Gai was saying. “You didn’t even let us thank-”

“You aren’t supposed to remember that!”

“It’s okay! It’s fine, right? But can I please get your autograph this time?” Gai wheedled. Marvelous knew that hopeful puppy tone better than he knew the other’s voice. Gai had caught one of the past sentai on his ship.

Sure enough, Gai had Alata trapped for him. He was holding both of Alata’s hands captive and his eyes were shone with that particular joy that came out when he met one of his ‘senpais.’

“Well, looks like you’ve caught a sneak-thief,” Marvelous commented.

Alata did give a guilty jump, but when he turned he had such a sweet smile you really could believe he was an innocent little angel.

“You did say we could drop in.”

“I didn’t say you could _sneak_ in.” Not that he didn’t like the idea of Alata trying to surprise him, he was still going to give his favorite angel a hard time about it.

“Wait, you two worked together. We’re allies!”

Marvelous clapped one hand on Gai’s shoulder to reassure him. The next second he grabbed Alata’s captive hands, pulled them from Gai’s grip, and used the momentum to toss Alata over his shoulder.

“Marvelous-san!” Gai protested, apparently offended on Alata’s behalf. Alata was laughing too hard to complain as Marvelous carried him away.

“Why don’t you round up the rest of those angels for me?” Marvelous suggested. “While we have a talk.” He had no doubt Alata had brought his team along, and that would have to keep Gai happy and out of trouble while he monopolized their leader.

His room wasn’t far. By the time Alata started trying to squirm free, Marvelous was able to simply dump him on his bed. He kicked the door closed and sat practically on Alata’s legs.

“Are all angels as light as you?” It was kind of shocking how little Alata appeared to weigh. It wasn’t even that he was small. He could feel muscle on Alata’s slight frame, which should count for something, yet Alata seemed to weigh less than half what he should. Marvelous wondered if his bones were hollow as a bird’s.

“You should try to pick up Agri sometime,” Alata answered, with a little glint of mischief in his eyes.

“I don’t need to. I’ve already caught you. Now, what should I do with you?” Marvelous caught Alata’s shirt to pull him closer and studied his face, as if he hadn’t already wasted hours thinking about exactly what he wanted if he got the chance to see Alata again.

“Trying to keep me busy until the rest of my team gets here?”

“Don’t worry about that. My crew will catch them soon enough.”

Alata laughed. The sound always made Marvelous want to be annoyed, but he could never hold on to the feeling. He couldn’t even try to make Alata stop sounding so warm and fond of him. He could barely stop his mouth from trying to twitch into a smile.

“While I have you, I want a favor.” Marvelous released Alata and reached for his belt. It only took a thought before he had the GoseiRed Ranger Key in his hand. He held it up for Alata to see. “In return. . .”

Alata’s hand shot out and stopped just shy of snatching the key. He cupped his hand around Marvelous’s, his air of playful teasing suddenly gone. “What about the others?”

It was a level of self control Marvelous never would have bothered with. He would have grabbed the key for himself and then gotten his team’s back by force. The amount of trust in Alata’s gaze was unnerving.

“We don’t need them anymore. You can have them all back.”

Alata didn’t need any more encouragement to pluck the key out of his hand and clasp it to his chest. There was a flash of wings materializing behind him, then they wrapped around him as he transformed.

“Hey!” Marvelous jumped on Alata. He tried to pull his helmet off and Alata only squirmed and laughed. That was not what he had in mind!

Light glowed around Alata and then shed from his body in scraps like downy feathers as he dropped his transformation. He was leaning back on his elbows now. Marvelous had one hand planted in the middle of his chest.

“What kind of favor did you want?”

“I want to see your wings.”

Alata didn’t bat an eye. He placed one hand in the middle of Marvelous’s chest and eased him back to make room.

This time Alata unfurled his wings and didn’t tuck them away, and Marvelous was finally able to take in the scale of them. He’d assumed that those wings had grown to match him, but they were the same size he remembered and seemed even larger on Alata’s body.

Alata braced his hands in front of him and rolled his shoulders as he stretched out first one wing and then the other before folding them casually at his back.

Marvelous darted forward to touch Alata’s wing where the joint jutted up over his shoulder. The scent of ozone clung to Alata’s soft feathers, and he could feel muscle and bone underneath. They were solid in a way they had never been when he used them.

“Marvelous,” Alata scolded gently.

“I used your wings,” Marvelous said, then tried to shrug it off. “I only needed them for a minute.” He had more than one option to get safely off that ship. There was Jetman. There was _Gai_ , who could probably have pulled out half a dozen options once he stopped panicking. But in that moment Marvelous’s only thought was ‘angel.’ And in the noise and smoke a flash of bright white wings was enough to ground Gai as well.

“I’m glad they were there for you when you needed them.” Alata’s hand cupped his cheek, and Marvelous somehow didn’t expect the earnest look Alata fixed him with. “We only just learned to really fly, so I’m glad you could. . . I’m glad you had that.”

“Even if we stole them from you?” Marvelous meant to tease, to give the playful little reminder that he was the pirate here and Alata was allowed to resent him for the loan. He didn’t mean the words to come out sounding so serious.

“You didn’t really. Our wings are part of our bodies. It’s just that it takes more than wings for us to fly. So I’m glad what you got with our powers worked for you. You would have been in trouble without it, right?”

Marvelous didn’t know how to deal with that kind smile. He pulled Alata closer so he wouldn’t have to look. “I just wanted to see what they’re like on a real angel.” He’d had dreams of the sensation of floating down and down, but instead of borrowed wings pulling at his back he was supported by an angel holding him. Instead of disappearing when he landed those wings wrapped around him. He could never remember what that felt like when he woke.

He peered over Alata’s shoulder to where his wings met his back. They apparently passed right through his clothes with a faint glow of light.

“How is this even possible?” He reached around to touch the spot. He couldn’t feel a gap in Alata’s wing, or any sort of tear in his clothes.

“Oh, they just go through the pores in the fabric,” Alata explained, as if that wasn’t completely insane.

Marvelous tugged on Alata’s jacket and it moved, sliding right through the spot where his wing met his body. “Take this off.”

Alata didn’t argue. If anything he seemed amused as he shrugged his way out of his jacket, letting Marvelous tug it down. It slid easily through that point of light and pooled on the bed where Marvelous dropped it.

Marvelous immediately tugged on the hem of Alata’s striped shirt, prompting him to pull it up over his head and discard it as well. That left his back bare, and again Marvelous reached for the place where Alata’s wing met his shoulder.

There was no sign that the fabric had passed right through his wings. Marvelous ran his fingers along the base of Alata’s wing. He could feel the solidity of flesh and bone, and when Alata stirred and flexed his wings restlessly he could see that the muscles connected to his wing continued deep into his chest. There was no doubt that those wings were very much a part of Alata’s body, yet they could apparently have cloth pass right through them as needed, and Alata could tuck them away and have them disappear completely.

Stupid, impossible, fascinating angel wings. Marvelous rubbed at the place where they met Alata’s back.

“That feels really good,” Alata told him. He leaned closer, hands coming to rest on Marvelous’s shoulders. “I haven’t been able to stretch them for a while.”

That was more than enough encouragement. Marvelous wrapped both arms around Alata, working his fingers into the strong muscles at the base of Alata’s wings. He could feel where they were tense and focused his attention there. He didn’t know how well he was doing finding the right pressure points on an alien body, but Alata squeaked and then sighed and tucked his chin over Marvelous’s shoulder, and that was enough for him.

There were feathers all the way down to the point where Alata’s wings met his body, and they tickled at Marvelous’s fingers. He couldn’t resist sliding his fingers up from Alata’s back to touch them.

When Marvelous had the chance to inspect feathers on his borrowed wings they had felt so insubstantial they must have been made of light and magic. He definitely didn’t remember them being so soft. Alata’s feathers were sleek when he ran his fingers down them, but they fluffed up when he rubbed the wrong way. 

Alata made an unidentifiable noise in his throat and turned his face into Marvelous’s neck. Just to be safe Marvelous moved one hand down to rub soothingly at Alata’s back between his wings, while his other kept playing with Alata’s feathers.

Almost immediately Alata arched into his hand with a soft groan. His wings unfolded and beat once, kicking up a brief gust. For a moment Marvelous’s peripheral vision was dominated by the white glow of angel wings.

He didn’t stop to think, but turned and buried his face in Alata’s wing. The scent of ozone was almost gone. Instead when he breathed deep it felt like a faint musk settled in the back of his throat. He tried to nuzzle his way even deeper into the cloud of soft feathers. He caught one with his lips and gave it a tug in his greed.

“Marvelous!” Alata protested. He twisted, grabbed Marvelous’s shoulder and pulled, separating him from the wing he was luxuriating in. Marvelous landed on his back in Alata’s lap.

Alata loomed over him with his wings flared, a perfect avenging angel. Marvelous could only grin at his irritated frown.

“That was rude.”

“I said I wanted to see them.”

“‘See,’ not ‘touch.’ Besides, you’ve used them yourself,” Alata reminded him sulkily. As if that made them any less interesting.

“It’s different when they’re yours.”

That startled a laugh out of Alata. It must have been enough to smooth over the offense because Alata bent and kissed his forehead. “That’s sweet of you.”

Marvelous flicked Alata’s forehead in return. “Who said I was being sweet?”

Alata did flinch at being flicked, but the next second he was smiling again. Marvelous pretended not to notice. He gazed somewhere past Alata’s warm smile, trying to act like it had been his idea to claim Alata’s lap in the first place.

“You got them so messy,” Alata suddenly complained.

Marvelous’s attempt to be nonchalant was interrupted by Alata’s wings opening again and then practically folding around him. He could see how rumpled the feathers were from his overenthusiastic attentions.

“You could take responsibility and help me straighten them.”

Marvelous was prepared to ignore that ‘responsibility’ comment if it meant he could get his hands on those heavenly wings again. He reached up to comb his fingers through Alata’s feathers.

“Not like that.” Alata’s fingers curled around his and pulled them away. “I’ll teach you.”

Marvelous shifted slightly so he could sit up and lean back against Alata’s chest. Warm wings hugged so close around him he wished he had taken off his shirt so they would have the chance to brush against his bare skin.

It was very simple the way Alata taught him. He started feather by feather, caring for each one individually, before settling them the way he wanted them.

First one, then the other of Alata’s hands disappeared somewhere behind Marvelous’s head. Marvelous grabbed Alata’s fingers and found them slick.

He stroked Alata’s fingertips curiously, and Alata answered his curiosity by taking his hand and guiding it to touch a spot behind his ear. Even as Marvelous craned his head back to see, Alata guided him by touch to press along the slight bulge of a gland there. He came away with oil on his fingertips.

“What is this?” Marvelous rubbed his fingers together.

“Preen oil. It helps keep our feathers healthy,” Alata explained simply. He shouldn’t sound so surprised that Marvelous didn’t know. Navi was the only one of the crew with wings and the oil she needed was very different.

Alata showed him how to work oil into the feathers. He started from the top edge of the wing down, then moved up over the same territory again as he fussed over the arrangement.

Maybe it was his imagination that Alata’s feathers felt even more sleek and supple under his fingers after that extra bit of attention. He couldn’t resist playing with them, but when he went so far as to tug at one he felt an answering tug of Alata’s fingers in his hair to reprimand him.

Marvelous would have been happy to keep stroking the same patch of feathers in front of him indefinitely if left to his own devices. It was almost meditative. He didn’t want to move to the next section until Alata’s fingers tangled with his to pull him away and then fix the newly-smoothed feathers to lie the way he wanted them.

Alata gently pushed Marvelous’s fingers all the way down to brush skin, so he was grooming a whole feather in each sweep. His teaching was almost all non-verbal. Most of the words he offered were little murmurs of encouragement. He showed Marvelous what to do, then guided him if he didn’t pick it up quickly enough.

Having Alata to watch showed him skills he might not have been able to follow with just words. He needed to see the way Alata angled his fingers to use his nails neatly, or to keep the callouses on his hands from catching the separated barbs of abused feathers. Marvelous had to touch Alata’s hands to confirm for himself that they weren’t secretly smooth and perfect. His fingertips were softened by oil, but the pattern of callouses on his hands reminded Marvelous of Joe’s.

He mimicked Alata, scratching lightly down between the feathers and then smoothing them one by one with oil. He reached back blindly and felt his way under Alata’s chin and along his jaw before rubbing behind his ear. He tried to arrange the feathers neatly as Alata had, before running the back of his hand down the soft mass of them just to enjoy his work.

Eventually Marvelous realized Alata had stopped interfering, only reaching in occasionally to adjust things he wasn’t quite happy with. He was letting Marvelous do the work of caring for his wings. As far as Marvelous was concerned that just meant more for him to play with.

“Do you mind if I preen you a little too?”

“If you feel like it.” Marvelous wasn’t sure what Alata thought he was going to do. It wasn’t like he had wings to play with.

He was answered by Alata’s cheek rubbing against the top of his head. Alata bent himself with a seemingly boneless grace to rub the spot behind his ear on Marvelous’s hair. Then he turned and rubbed him with the other side for good measure. He finished the stunt with a little nuzzle.

Alata stroked Marvelous’s hair and then ran his fingers through it, gently picking out snarls as he found them. Marvelous almost wanted to purr at the attention, especially when fingers worked their way deep into his hair to rub at his scalp. He wasn’t sure what to think of the fact that he now smelled like angel musk, but Alata gently scratching at his scalp was a sort of pampering he could get used to.

The idea that this was thanks for his grooming Alata’s wings occurred to him, and then he set it aside. There was nothing to thank him for. He was doing this because he wanted to and no other reason.

“How do you do the back?” he asked. He was the very image of a cool, unconcerned pirate and he wasn’t going to look up at the smile he could practically feel beaming down on him.

“Usually we have help.” Alata’s fingers combed suggestively through his hair. If that was an offer he was definitely taking it.

He had been fascinated since Alata had stolen his key back and he got a glimpse of those wings on their angelic owner. His impression was right. They really were different when they were Alata’s. What he had used might have been the magic stripped out of Alata’s wings. It wasn’t like the reality of flesh and feathers wrapped around him.

“So your powers included the ability to fly. Does that mean your wings shrunk?” Marvelous remembered Gosei Knight compacted to the size of a fist. He had to imagine cute little winglets attached to Alata’s back. That might not be what he’d been fantasizing about but it would have been fun to see.

“No, they were just wings. We couldn’t do anything with them.” Alata shifted his wings, pulling the feathers Marvelous wanted out from under his fingers. He would have liked to just focus on fondling Alata’s wings, but Alata continued, “We couldn’t even get home.”

“You were stuck here.” Why had those stupid angels made the case that they didn’t trust a bunch of pirates to protect their precious Earth, not that they needed their powers to get home? His crew at least understood not being able to go home.

“You know we wouldn’t have gone anywhere when the Earth needed us. It’s our duty as guardian angels.”

Marvelous knew the whole guardian angel thing went beyond the fluffy wings and the blinding optimism. He did listen to Gai’s sentai lessons sometimes, and Gai had been upset to have just missed teaming up with the Goseigers to fight the Black Cross Army, which had lead to a few spirited tangents.

“Why are only your team Super Sentai, anyway?” Marvelous asked. “Haven’t you meddling angels been looking after this planet for a long time?” And why weren’t there more of them here? Gai had taken offense on the angels’ behalf at that question, but he didn’t know the answer either.

Alata was silent for a moment, but he relaxed so that Marvelous could get at his wings again. If he didn’t want to answer Marvelous was happy to let the question lie in favor of the feathers still awaiting his attention.

“Not in the same way we did.” Alata had to take another moment, and Marvelous was still trying to focus on the ecstacy of soft feathers at his fingertips. “You could say our world is like the Earth’s child. We’re connected, but we’re not from Earth. We protect Earth, but we’re not part of it the way humans are. Super Sentai are part of the Earth.” Alata’s fingers worked through his hair in the same rhythm as him stroking Alata’s feathers. “I think the Earth adopted us, so that we became part of it. It’s not something that can be undone.”

Alata’s face was still and serious over his. Marvelous didn’t understand why. “So? I thought you liked this planet. Apparently it likes you back.”

“We were never supposed to stay. We don’t belong to this world.”

Marvelous let go of the feathers long enough to put his hand on the nape of Alata’s neck and pull him down. There was something he had noticed while Alata was talking. “You have human eyes.”

“I. . . what?”

They were like Gai’s eyes. It was the iris that made them so beautiful. Alata’s eyes were a lovely dark brown, but if you looked close there was an unknowable pattern etched over his iris in dark and light.

Alata blinked a few times and pulled his head back slightly as Marvelous gazed into his eyes, and Marvelous had to grin. Gai had actually gotten a little shy when any of the crew ended up gazing into his eyes or complimenting them. They all agreed that human eyes were weird in general and that Gai’s were obviously the most beautiful, but Alata’s weren’t bad either.

“Who says you don’t belong? Your world is right next door, anyway.”

“How far away is your world?”

“I don’t need a world. I have a ship.”

Alata’s forehead creased for a moment and his fingers brushed beside Marvelous’s eye. Perhaps he had noticed the difference, how Marvelous’s iris was glossy-smooth. He didn’t comment on the difference between them. “Earth adopted you too.”

“It did not,” Marvelous argued, offended.

“You’re just as much Super Sentai as any of us. You even went out of your way to ask for our blessing.”

“I told you we’re giving the Ranger Keys back!” So they had borrowed the other Sentai team’s power for a little while. That didn’t mean they belonged to this planet or anything.

“Six of those keys belong to you.”

“Yeah, and we’re keeping them when we leave.” Those keys had never belonged to one of Earth’s sentai teams, right? They belonged to his crew, not the planet. No matter how much he had come to like Earth he didn’t belong to it. He didn’t belong anywhere but his ship.

Gai was the only one of them who might have belonged to Earth originally, but they were taking him with them. Marvelous didn’t care what any planet thought about that. Gai was part of his crew.

“If it doesn’t feel like you’re leaving anything behind, you can come back just to say you told me so,” Alata offered. His fingers brushed down Marvelous’s cheek.

“Are you trying to make a bet with me?” Marvelous wanted to know. He actually stopped playing with feathers long enough to grab Alata’s chin.

Alata’s fingers brushed his lips. He didn’t need to say anything. His knowing little smile was irritating enough. Marvelous had a perfect plan to kiss that smile away, and then toss Alata down on the bed so he could play with angel wings from a new angle.

Before he could move there was a commotion outside his door, a loud crash, and half his crew spilled into his cabin. More accurately, half his crew and half of Alata’s team as well.

Luka was in the lead. She was dragging Moune with her, with Gai hanging off of her jacket. A silver blur buzzed around her head. Agri was right behind her, close enough to jar her shoulder with his and actually carrying Don, never mind that his captive was squirming and complaining the whole time.

Amid the chaos he could pick out that Luka wanted recognition for catching those sneaky angels. GoseiKnight wanted to see Moune released and Agri apparently wanted to exchange hostages so she would drop his sister. Of course Gai just wanted everyone to get along.

Alata actually reacted faster than him. The next thing Marvelous knew Alata’s legs were wrapped around him and one arm had snaked under his jaw to put him in a headlock.

Both teams immediately went silent, though Gai was still pulling worriedly on Luka and Agri’s sleeves.

“I think I’ve earned that favor,” Alata suggested. “For my whole team.” He folded his wings back, letting them dissolve into light and disappear.

“Heh. Guess so.” Marvelous wasn’t going to say no. Not that he would have said no to an hour or two of playing with Alata’s wings first, either. He pulled free as soon as Alata’s hold loosened. He roughly mussed Alata’s hair, but that only got him a cheeky little grin.

Gai wormed his way inside. Luka followed, as cool as if she hadn’t been part of the shouting mess that just spilled into his cabin.

Gai was still making little noises of distress. “Everyone was getting along, and then-”

“You said Marvelous grabbed their leader. So if that’s why they were sneaking in this time. . .” Luka shrugged and grinned. At least she knew how to have fun with it.

Moune had convinced her brother to let Don go. He didn’t quite bolt but he also didn’t waste any time finding a safe spot behind Marvelous. He put one arm around Gai and patted his shoulder in an attempt to reassure him.

On the other side of the room Agri was holding his sister protectively in one arm, even as she punched his shoulder and teased him. He grabbed Alata to him with his other arm and made his best attempt at staring down Marvelous’s crew while Alata patted his chest and tried to soothe him.

GoseiKnight was hovering protectively between the two siblings, but finally flew in front of Agri’s face to check on Alata as well.

“GoseiRed, your wings?”

Alata nodded. “Not just mine.” He reached up to touch the angry little lion head who was his silver ranger, then over to clasp Moune’s hand. “But everyone’s, right?”

“Assuming your team isn’t making even more trouble upstairs,” Marvelous put in, in case they had forgotten this was still his ship. He didn’t want his smile to seem too magnanimous.

Gai was the only one who reacted. He flailed and insisted, “Everyone else was getting along!” Except perhaps he didn’t trust it himself because he darted out of the room, possibly thinking he could restore the peace before the rest of them got upstairs.

The angels followed. Marvelous caught Luka and Don with an arm around each of their shoulders, nearly hugging them as he ushered them along. He noticed how Alata had almost the same idea, grabbing Moune and Agri’s hands to lead them, and then pretended he hadn’t noticed. He wasn’t letting some happy little angel make him feel self-conscious.

There was peace in the main cabin. Ahim was having a calm conversation with Eri. He could see Joe and Hyde unpacking groceries together in the galley. Only Gai was breathing hard from his rush.

The angels separated, Alata going to greet Ahim and collect Eri while Agri and Moune pulled Hyde out of the kitchen. They met again in the middle of the ship, with curious crew members gathering around them. Agri shrugged off his jacket on the way and wrapped it around Alata’s shoulders before turning to face the crew with the rest of them.

“Any objections to giving these angel’s powers back early?”

He knew there wouldn’t be.

Gai was the first, almost dancing with excitement as he held up GoseiKnight’s ranger key. The moment GoseiKnight had grown to his usual size Gai pounced on him. To his credit, GoseiKnight patted Gai awkwardly on the back and accepted the enthusiasm with far more dignity than many other sentai had managed.

His energy set off a chain reaction of angels hugging his crew as their powers were returned. Eri snuggled up to Ahim. Agri embraced Don and patted his back in a way that seemed deliberately gentle. Luka mussed Moune’s hair in retaliation for her hug, but she was smiling. Even Joe allowed Hyde to grip his hand for a long moment.

Alata moved back to his side as he watched. He couldn’t help fluffing up Alata’s hair himself, telling himself it was to fend off a more affectionate hug. He let his fingers slide down and tug delicately at the collar of the borrowed jacket.

What Alata took from the little gesture was not what he had in mind.

“I need to get my shirt back.”

There were many things Marvelous was interested in doing with Alata below decks, and returning his clothes wasn’t even on the list. Of course, Alata didn’t want to be away from his team for more than a minute now they were all here. He didn’t even seem to notice he was pulling himself right out of Marvelous’s hands on the way back.

Following Alata back to the others, Marvelous was suddenly very glad he hadn’t gotten his way this time. The main cabin was aglow with angel wings. Four sets of wings with rumpled feathers. Four angels taking the chance to stretch their wings at last.

He wasn’t the only one staring. He was willing to bet the rest of his crew had discovered at least a passing interest in the sudden display of angel wings. Maybe the rest of the angel team would also be open to the idea of a little pirate-assisted preening.


End file.
